December 10, 2024

Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo 

Our Port greeting into Santo Domingo on Sunday was one of our fanciest to date - dancers, musicians & artists performed, and they even had a free shuttle bus, for us to the walled colonial zone of town. 

Santo Domingo is the Capital of the Dominican Republic and is one of oldest Caribbean's oldest cities. Its walled, cobblestoned historic core, The Zona Colonial has buildings that date back to 1500s, including the Cathedral where I went to noon Mass. The Cathedral Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion was the first built in the New World. The inside of the Cathedral was stunning, but photos were not allowed, so my interiors photos below are from the internet. I also had to put a provided shawl on my bare shoulders before entering for Mass. The 50+ person choir was spectacular. I walked around the colonial streets before Mass. Everyone was so friendly.   

By Patricia Patrick September 12, 2025
The Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces from the Qing Dynasty. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
By Patricia Patrick September 12, 2025
BeiJing, used to be Peking - so we had to have the famous Peking Duck!
By Patricia Patrick September 11, 2025
We left the Great Wall and went to THE MING TOMBS - however we were disappointed to find there was nothing there except the grounds.